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Can Blood Clots At The Pons Part Of The Brain Cause Recurrent Stroke?
Question: My father just has a total of three strokes and thankfully they were mild and not severe, however they told him that he had three blood clots in the pons part of the brain. They told him that he should have surgery and get a stint put in to attempt some sort of fixing. how likely is he to have another stroke? what symptoms should we watch out for? he is extremely cold and tired all the time, but I think he is still in the recovery phase and that will probably happen for while. he has had really good days since he's been home on Tuesday. we see the neurosurgeon on Tuesday, how long can we wait before surgery without any other risks involved? is that to long of a waiting period?
thank you
concerned daughter
thank you
concerned daughter
Brief Answer:
Read below.
Detailed Answer:
I read your question carefully and I understand your concern.
In order to make a prediction of his risk of another stroke I am afraid more info is needed. Risk of stroke varies according to which vessel is narrowed. If the same vessel as those strokes which happened then risk is higher then if a vessel which hasn't caused stroke till now. Also it depends on the condition of the communicating arteries, if there are good communications between vessels they can compensate for a narrowing.
Risk also varies between carotid and vertebral arteries. Also while carotid arteries stenting is well studied its value is less proven for vertebral arteries.
Lastly decisions depend also on the center and its experience with the procedure, its complications rate.
So more info is needed, if you upload some reports I might say more, but many variables involved. In our center it is a decision taken in common meetings of neurologists, neurosurgeons and interventional radiologists.
As for symptoms of another stroke may be speech issues, visual problems, weakness or numbness of the limbs, balance and coordination issues.
As for the waiting period, if not a narrowing of a vessel responsible for stroke then can wait, low risk. If the same vessel supplying the pons then risk is higher, usually better to be done in the first two weeks after stroke.
I remain at your disposal for further questions
Read below.
Detailed Answer:
I read your question carefully and I understand your concern.
In order to make a prediction of his risk of another stroke I am afraid more info is needed. Risk of stroke varies according to which vessel is narrowed. If the same vessel as those strokes which happened then risk is higher then if a vessel which hasn't caused stroke till now. Also it depends on the condition of the communicating arteries, if there are good communications between vessels they can compensate for a narrowing.
Risk also varies between carotid and vertebral arteries. Also while carotid arteries stenting is well studied its value is less proven for vertebral arteries.
Lastly decisions depend also on the center and its experience with the procedure, its complications rate.
So more info is needed, if you upload some reports I might say more, but many variables involved. In our center it is a decision taken in common meetings of neurologists, neurosurgeons and interventional radiologists.
As for symptoms of another stroke may be speech issues, visual problems, weakness or numbness of the limbs, balance and coordination issues.
As for the waiting period, if not a narrowing of a vessel responsible for stroke then can wait, low risk. If the same vessel supplying the pons then risk is higher, usually better to be done in the first two weeks after stroke.
I remain at your disposal for further questions
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Thank you for the quick response. I don't have any other information to provide, all I have is the MRI image. would that help? The neurologist that saw him in the ER said that the blockage of the veins are in the pons and they are side by side. The strokes were started in the same area. now he has had some progress in the side that lost function. his right side has been getting better. Does his progress give him less risk or does that have nothing to do with it?
thanks again
thanks again
Brief Answer:
Read below.
Detailed Answer:
MRI would certainly help, but I am not sure what you mean by image. An MRI does not contain one single image, but hundreds of them, at different levels, in different projections with different techniques. So what would be useful would be if you either uploaded the report, or the entire exam if you have it on CD (if the last you can put the CD/DVD content on a zip file or make a disc image, upload it on a filesharing service like Dropbox and give me the link).
Otherwise it is hard to make much out of what you say. Stents are not put in the veins but the arteries. In the pons area there is only one big artery which can be stented, the basilar artery, the rest are small branches coming out of it which are not stentable, so having side by side veins in the pons area doesn't clear out the picture much. It is not your fault, I know it is hard to understand without knowing brain anatomy, especially when under stress.
The improvement in itself doesn't indicate much, improvement does take place usually. The positive thing is simply that there aren't any new events, strokes, one can say that there is less risk after the first weeks under medication, the risk goes decreasing as the atherosclerotic plaque stabilizes.
Let me know if I can further assist you.
Read below.
Detailed Answer:
MRI would certainly help, but I am not sure what you mean by image. An MRI does not contain one single image, but hundreds of them, at different levels, in different projections with different techniques. So what would be useful would be if you either uploaded the report, or the entire exam if you have it on CD (if the last you can put the CD/DVD content on a zip file or make a disc image, upload it on a filesharing service like Dropbox and give me the link).
Otherwise it is hard to make much out of what you say. Stents are not put in the veins but the arteries. In the pons area there is only one big artery which can be stented, the basilar artery, the rest are small branches coming out of it which are not stentable, so having side by side veins in the pons area doesn't clear out the picture much. It is not your fault, I know it is hard to understand without knowing brain anatomy, especially when under stress.
The improvement in itself doesn't indicate much, improvement does take place usually. The positive thing is simply that there aren't any new events, strokes, one can say that there is less risk after the first weeks under medication, the risk goes decreasing as the atherosclerotic plaque stabilizes.
Let me know if I can further assist you.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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